The mandate

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe provides humanitarian aid worldwide. It supports people who have fallen victim of natural disasters, war and displacement and who are not able to cope on their own in the emergency situation they find themselves in. It is an effort to help people in great need – worldwide, regardless of their colour, religion and nationality.

One of the most important principles of its work is impartiality and independence. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe painstakingly observes its aim not to become an instrument for political, economic or military interests. Particularly in conflict areas it attaches great value to asserting its independence from all parties involved.

The nature and scope of the assistance are adjusted to the situation in the disaster zone within the framework of available possibilities. Aid measures are designed to suit the local conditions and are integrated in the economic, social and political context of a specific country or region. They are adjusted to respond to the needs and the situation of the victims, respect the dignity of the people, and protect valid laws and traditions. Aid commodities are deployed according to need and correspond to local standards. They are purchased locally so far as it is possible and useful.

In its activities Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is committed to the basic principles of humanitarian aid as laid down in the Code of Conduct of the Red Cross and Red Crescent and of non-governmental aid organisations in the context of emergency assistance.

Annual Report 20152015 there was an immense extent of
wars – in Syria, in Iraq, in the Ukraine, but also in Central African countries – as well as natural disasters with the respective refugee flows, which stretched the limits of humanitarian assistance.
Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe could relieve hardship in many hot spots – also in the catastrophes forgotten by media.
Download (pdf - 6.7 MB)

Annual Report 2014Facts, figures and background information - that's all in the recent annual report of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. Exemplary project reports and in detail numbers are included as well.
2014 was dominated by four concurrent severe humanitarian crises. As well as the continuing fighting in Syria and Iraq, the situation in South Sudan and the Central African Republic escalated. In addition, there were the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the emergency on the Philippines. Thus, in the 60th year of its existence, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe had to assist people in many places at once.Download (pdf - 5.6 MB)

Annual Report 2013For Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, 2013 was a year of non-stop, intense hard work with major humanitarian challenges: the conflict in Syria, the widespread flooding in Central Europe and the strongest tropical storm ever measured on the Philippines.Download (pdf - 2.1 MB)

Building Community Resilence through Disaster Risk ReductionDiakonie Katastrophenhilfe is a strong advocate of the Disaster Risk Reduction concept which places communities at the very heart
of a project cycle, from start to finish. We believe in a process of better participation and coordination with all stakeholders, at grass roots level, empowering communities themselves to take an active role in every
step.
This approach is referred to as Community-Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM).
Therefore, the community lies at the centre of successful DRR which aims to be inclusive, build capacity, foster empowerment and create a level of sustainability.
This brochure presents core CBDRM and DRR elements requiring consideration in projects that engage with vulnerable communities and provides case study examples, outlining key challenges and lessons learned. It concludes with an analysis of progress made and includes
recommendations and tools for moving the DRR agenda forward in Pakistan.Download (pdf - 4.4 MB)

Country Profile PakistanIn Pakistan Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has supported more than one million people in need since the devastating Kashmir earthquake of October 2005. So far we have implemented more than 70 projects in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KPK), Azad, Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan in partnership with Pakistani Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
Behind that number lies a complex strategy strewn with challenges to deliver practical and meaningful help to those in real need. But our assistance is more than an emergency response. It includes support
which also helps empower communities to rebuild and take control of their lives in ways that are sustainable in the longer term. It is about enabling positive change.
In this brochure we present a view of Pakistan in words and pictures. We would also like to explain how we work in Pakistan, in partnership with local organisations which have existing local networks and can more easily understand local customs and access remote communities.Download (pdf - 9.4 MB)